Heart's Way To Love
by XxXROWBVBXxX
Summary: Suzuno doesn't believe in true love. But when she meets a stranger and soon become bestfriends, will she accept that friends can actually be lovers? B-Day fic for SnowyWolff. Happy Birthday Nee-san! I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5. FemGazel x Burn fic.


**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for didn't updating in the last weeks. I was really, really, REALLY sick Anyways, this is kinda a late B-Day fic for my dear sister SnowyWolff aka Yuki-san. **

**I wanna thank her for everything she has done for me, and I'm really sorry I have been late with this fic, some problems, but nothing biggy. Now, I know you really like Gazel x Burn, so I tried my best with this fic. I really hope you enjoyed it, and so you minna-san.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, OOC-ness, and PLEASE take care at stupid typos and grammar mistakes!**

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**Heart's Way To Love**

* * *

It is incredible how we can follow one routine for days, months, even years, and yet one moment could change our lives, for better or for worse. During one split second, in that one moment of weakness, everything we have come to know takes a one hundred and eighty degree turn. And sometimes, we are left to spin for much longer before the tornado ends.

Funny thing is, we can't pinpoint it. We know something changed, but we aren't able to tell the exact time and place our life took the turn. Why? Didn't it happen to us? We were there, so what's the problem? We might never come to realize what happened, nor what we should do from that point on. However, we might receive the shot to redeem our mistake, and if we take it, life smiles on us again.

* * *

Stretching her legs under the desk, Suzuno put her small hand over mouth to cover her yawn. Her tired eyes glanced at her mobile and she sighed. It was 1.56 in the morning.

_Not again, _she reprimanded herself.

She hadn't planned to stay up that late, but then again, when did she ever? She had done a lot of extra work, but the lack of sleep was slowly getting to her. Frowning, she pressed her lips together and eyed her notebook. Her neat handwriting was easily readable in the yellow light sent by her black desk lamp. Taking the pencil in her hand proved useless because she placed it back down the next instant. She wasn't in the mood for more.

Yawing for the millionth time, Suzuno closed the lamp, getting up from her chair.

For a few minutes, she kept her gaze on the dark blue sky. There were not a lot of stars on it. Yet, she always stared at the heavens, hoping for something to get her out her boring life.

Then, it happened; when she blinked, it was gone. Rubbing her eyes, she opened her window and searched the sky for any trace of the shooting star she had seen. On the other hand, maybe it had only been her imagination. She was obviously tired and it could have been a trick of the light. She yawned again and made up her mind.

_What's the harm in it?_, she wondered. Then she grinned at how childish she could be. Then again, what could possibly happen if she wished on the shooting star?

_Star light  
Star bright  
Please grant the wish  
I wish tonight_

_Star light  
Star bright  
I wish to have a reason to smile all the time._

She cringed at how cheesy and cliché it was, what on Earth possessed her to say something like that? Of course she wanted to have a happily ever after and be the best she could be. No matter what, she would not lose hope. If she didn't believe there was something more, then what was the reason she worked so hard for?

Snorting at her choice of words, she closed the window and settled between her blankets. Her eyelids fluttered as sleep crept up on her. Thinking of the shooting star, Suzuno couldn't help but remember the times when she used to yell out her wishes, never fearing what others might say, never doubting they would come true. Those times, however, were long gone because she came face to face with the cruel reality of the twenty first century. One gains nothing by sitting around daydreaming. Everything comes after hard work, and even after the struggle, sometimes reward fails to appear.

* * *

_**Beep Beep Beep Beep**_

Reaching out, Suzuno stopped her alarm clock and stretched, just like a cat. She detangled herself from her covers, made her bed, and then proceeded to the bathroom for the rest of her getting ready routine. As usual, she was done in the next half an hour and made her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

She had always prided herself with how fast she could get ready in the morning. Most of the others girls spent hours putting on make-up or just gazing at themselves in the mirror.

For breakfast, she poured herself some milk and cereal, and watched the news as she ate. Her father left before her and her mother after her, so she was the only one up. The reporter went on and on about some boring stuff, then announced rain in the afternoon.

Grabbing her backpack, she was out the door at a quarter past seven to make sure she got to school on time. She took the subway, met up with her friends, attended her classes, laughed at break and ate her lunch as she would any day. Nothing that might break her routine happened. The sky didn't collapse, the aliens didn't make their appearance, and there were no new hot guys to stare at, though-...

She interrupted her thoughts, by hitting her forehead against her locker. Sometimes she thought too much for her own good. Her friend gave her an odd look, but Suzuno blamed it on stress, after all, it was their senior year.

That day, it rained and her very _smart_ self forgot the umbrella. Briefly, she wondered why she bothered to take it out in the evening, but she couldn't say that it was such a disaster. She wasn't one of those girls who squealed when a drop of water fell on her, she didn't mind getting mud on her shoes – they could be washed – she didn't care much for make-up and rarely wore it and she didn't believe in love.

The rain only seemed to be falling heavier as she got off the subway. However, she didn't run or try to cover her head. She knew her bag was impermeable, and as long her books were safe, a little rain wouldn't kill her. Walking at her normal pace, not minding the raindrops, she let her legs take her home. Her thoughts were off somewhere, and her senses were enjoying the early spring rain and lost in her own little world, so she didn't notice the speeding car.

_**SPLASH!**_

In the blink of an eye, Suzuno was covered in mud. Of course, she had been wet before, but at least she had been clean. Her first thought was of a way to kill the driver and get away with it, such a shame he was long gone. Frowning, she stomped her foot and groaned.

"Erm ... here."

Jumping slightly at the sound of a foreign voice, she turned and looked up to see a boy handing her a handkerchief. He was staring at his black converse intensively, though what got her undivided attention was the pink umbrella with multicolored butterflies that he was holding in his left hand.

Then, although wet, dirty, cold, and slightly annoyed, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. Her smile slowly spread until she was laughing outright. She laughed not only at the sight in front of her, but at her horrible state as well. Soon, the boy joined her and his umbrella fell out of his hand as he clutched his stomach.

It seemed forever had gone by when they finally pulled themselves together. They were both soaked to the bone, but had silly smiles plastered on their faces.

"You're all wet." She stated.

"Look who's talking." He grinned.

Shaking her head, she went over and picked up his umbrella, handing it to him. His cheeks colored slightly as he accepted it.

"Uh ... it's my sister's. She made me take it. She said it was going to rain and since she couldn't find another, she stuffed it in my backpack. I had to use it because she would have killed me if she saw me without it. Either way I'm soaked now, so, yeah," his voice slowly faded, and he watched her with weary golden eyes.

Suzuno found herself rather disappointed, since his rambling had entertained her. She couldn't remember the last time she let her words come out that freely. Raising her eyebrow, something that she had practiced in front of the mirror, she said. "I didn't say anything about that."

"Oh," he looked away, even more embarrassed. "Well, I ... you see, this is-"

"It is better than nothing, though now it doesn't make much of a difference." She glanced at his right hand, which still clutched the blue and white handkerchief. "Thanks for offering me that, but it's not exactly going to help me now."

"Yeah, you're right." He quickly stuffed it in his pocket, and suddenly pointed to the sky. "But look, it's stopping." He said, running a hand through his wet hair.

Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she nodded. "Yeah, but it's probably going to start again tonight.''

"Very likely." He added quickly, still avoiding her eyes.

"I have to go now. But this was fun, so I wouldn't mind getting soaked again some other time." She said and left, without letting him get out another word.

He had tried to help and for some weird reason she laughed more whole heartedly than she had for months, but she knew better than to talk to strangers. There was no way Suzuno could be sure it was only an act of kindness. For all she knew, he might have been a rapist, or a murdered, or a drug dealer, or well, basic point was that she didn't know anything about him.

However, she couldn't stop thinking about what happened and him standing there, with that umbrella over his head. She had to admit he was handsome, with his golden eyes and light red hair, which became a plain red after it got wet. And whenever her thoughts drifted to him, she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

She didn't notice him at all, even though there weren't many people around. Absorbed in her book, with music blasting through her new headphones, she wasn't at all connected with the world.

Out of nowhere, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She instantly tensed and spun around only to see the boy from the other day, the one with the pink umbrella.

Suzuno relaxed and offered him a small smile as she stopped her IPod.

"Hey." He smiled widely at her, showing straight white teeth.

"Hello." Closing her book, she backed up a bit, so she wouldn't have to bend her neck too much. Whom was she kidding? At her height everyone was taller than her.

"Erm ... it's nice to see you again." He said awkwardly, avoiding her eyes.

She wondered if he was some sort of stalker. There were some other people in sight, so he couldn't attempt anything. However, maybe those people were on his side, or maybe he was a pro and okay, enough's enough. Those were the horror movies speaking, not her.

"Yeah." She murmured.

There was a long pause since neither of them knew what to say. Only the sound of the subway speeding through the tunnel could be heard. She took her time to check him out. Well, she was a teenage girl, who could blame her?

He was much taller than her, still wearing his black converse, a pair of black jeans and band T-shirt. Because of it, she could tell he liked classic rock, so did she.

Finally, she felt the need to break the silence. "I got an umbrella today, though it's green and black."

He looked up at her, his checks colored in a light shade of pink. "Well, I convinced my mom to not make me take that pink thing since I got wet nonetheless. So, yeah, I don't have one, but I'm going to buy one, obviously." He finished.

"You got wet because of me, the umbrella had nothing to do with it."

He grinned. "I might have forgotten to mention that to her." She gave him a wide smile in return. "I'm Nagumo, by the way."

"Suzuno. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here." He stared at the floor briefly, before setting his eyes back on her. "So, do you take this subway every day?"

Her smile faded, as she considered the chances of him stalking her. What did he plan to do with her? Had she been right to think there was more to him than met the eye? Did he truly have an ulterior motive for offering her that handkerchief?

He must have felt her distress. "I'm not following you or anything. I moved here yesterday. My dad changed his job, and I was wondering if you might be going to the same high school as me. That way I might know someone. I don't like being the new kid, people usually stare a lot. So knowing somebody would make me feel much better. Not that that's the only reason I'm talking to you-"

"I'm going to Raimon highschool. I'm a senior."

He brightened up immediately, bringing his golden eyes to her blue ones. "Really?" he asked, as if he didn't believe his luck. She smiled, feeling oddly content for making him happy. "That's where I'm going too! I'm a senior too! Would you mind showing me around?" Nagumo shut his mouth instantly, his eyes widening comically. "If it's not too much to ask, I mean if you don't-"

"It's no problem at all. I can come with you to get you schedule too, if you want me to." She offered.

"Oh, there's no need for that. They mailed it." he shoved his hand into his pocket and produced a rather crumpled piece of paper. "Here!"

She accepted it and took a moment to study it. Frowning she started, "Well-"

"We don't have any classes together, do we? But I can still see you during breaks and maybe at-"

"Nagumo!"

"Well, it's okay if you have something else to do. I mea n- _ow_!" he rubbed the spot she had pinched to get his attention. "What was that for?!"

"We have all classes together, which is sort of odd, but whatever. However, you shouldn't be worried, it's not bad and we don't stare too much at transfer kids." She smiled.

"No, it's going to be great!" Nagumo exclaimed. "I can't believe it, are you sure about this?" he took the schedule and stared at it for a bit.

"Yeah, positive. But I'm not so sure about how great it is. It's just school, you know? Nothing thrilling about it."

"Oh, yeah, right." Yet his grin didn't fade and she couldn't help but return it.

* * *

It was weird at first. She didn't know what to think about him and it annoyed her that he always seemed to have something to say. Nagumo, however, had no problem whatsoever with her quiet nature and talked about anything and everything. Soon, he even started showing up at her house, dragging her along to his skate contests and favorite coffee shops.

Somehow, they ended up becoming best friends, and Suzuno didn't complain. True, she did think of him as annoying at first, but he always managed to find something new to do and she started enjoying whatever he had to show her. She loved the way Nagumo could be so carefree about everything, how he didn't care what others thought.

Slowly, she found herself wanting his company, arguing with him about meaningless things and laughing whenever. There were times when they didn't talk at all. They just sat in a comfortable silence, both thinking, unknowingly, about the other.

He managed to get the best out her and she didn't fear of being childish or silly in front of him. Suzuno felt oddly comforted whenever he was around, or when she thought of him. Neither of them noticed how time flew by and they found themselves only days away from their finals.

Nagumo and Suzuno were walking home under her green and black umbrella. Of course, he had his own, but it was a thing of theirs, to share an umbrella. He halted all of a sudden, making her stop as well. As she took a moment to study their surroundings, she realized it was where they had first met. Thinking about his appearance made her burst into laughter, earning a quizzical look from Nagumo.

"I don't think I'll ever forget you holding that pink umbrella." His cheeks colored slightly, only making her laugh more. "For a while, I was convinced you were some sort of stalker-ish serial killer, especially when I saw you the next day."

He pouted. "Well, what kind of mass murderer do you know that carries a pink umbrella with him?"

"Hmm... a gay one?" she grinned.

"Hey! I resent that." He turned away from her, pouting.

She snorted. "Oh, come on. Besides, you could have always had an ulterior motive to talk to me. I mean, how could I not? You have to admit that everything was very suspicious."

Nagumo gave her a weak smile, and then coughed nervously and it was her turn to question his behavior.

"What's up? Don't tell me that you are a gay serial criminal?!" she exclaimed.

He raised an eyebrow. "No, I can assure you that I'm not gay. However, I did have an ulterior motive, sort of anyway. You see, I thought that you were pretty, the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I was rather nervous because I don't normally talk to girls out of the blue, but I really didn't want just to let you go. Then that car splashed you and it gave me a reason to talk to you, albeit a dumb reason. Nevertheless, you still left and I didn't even get your name." He sighed, his eyes never leaving hers.

"When I saw you on the same subway as myself, I couldn't have been happier. You even went to the same school as me and you were in all of my classes-" Nagumo stopped himself.

In any normal circumstances, she would have smirked at his rambling, but this time she was speechless. Whatever he was trying to say, she didn't know if she wanted to hear.

"What I'm trying to tell you is that I like you and ... maybe, if you want to, you could go out with me." He finished and his eyes asked her to respond.

Her mind was blank. No. This was what Suzuno had dreaded. She could not be one of those girls who fell in love with her best friend. She refused to be take part in one of those cliché romances from which everyone got a broken heart.

Perhaps she was being selfish for wanting to be only his friend, but she couldn't help it. Then again, maybe he was playing with her and it wasn't in a romantic way.

"Nagumo, of course I like you." His face lit up instantly and he beamed at her. "You're my best friend and I go out with you every day."

His shoulders dropped and he frowned at her. "Suzuno, I want to go out with you on a date. I like you more than just a friend."

NO! Why did it come down to that? Girls and guys could just be friends, right? She wished she had misunderstood. Better yet, she wished she could go back in time and change the events. Was she being selfish? She didn't want to lose his friendship, but she couldn't take this.

"Listen, you don't have to answer now. If you don't feel the same way, I can wait. Maybe, in time, you will get to like me as much as I like you."

That might have been the right thing to say, if she wanted to be more to him. But she didn't. What she asked for was a friend not a lover. Why was it happening to her? It had been described as a wonderful feeling in all those stories she had read. Yet she felt everything but happiness. Confusion, sadness, frustration ... it was overwhelming and she, acting under their influences, did the only thing she could think of: _she ran_.

She took off towards her house, ignoring his yells, the heavy rain and the fact that he still had her umbrella. Not paying attention to anyone, Suzuno went straight for room. The thoughts of him and his confession bugged her, even though she did just about everything to get him out of her head.

It was late that night when she stopped and took a moment to think. What was wrong with her? She had never felt so strongly about something before. As much as she hated the effect it had on her, she couldn't help but want to truly sort out her feelings.

Angered at the world she threw her pen across the room. She took a deep breath to calm herself; violence didn't get you anywhere. Maybe just the state prison, but it wasn't a place she planned on visiting. _Ever._

_If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies._

Snorting, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the quote of the day. It reminded her of his pink butterfly umbrella, the one he had when she first met him. If it would have been a classic design, she might have ignored him or she might have thought he was just another guy. The fact that he had the courage to walk around with that thing in plain view, and that he admitted why he was doing it, gave her a different opinion on him.

Suzuno didn't believe in love, let alone in love at first sight. Then again, she didn't believe in shooting stars either and still she got her wish. No matter what, she always laughed. _He_ made her laugh. He had been the reason she could smile for real.

What did he mean to her?

Every time he smiled, she did too, even if she had no particular reason. Her heart leaped every time she looked at him. She felt at ease when he was around her. She hated being apart from him. She changed her college choice because of him. If he said it was okay, she believed him. The thought of never speaking to him again made her heart bleed. The image of him with another girl made her want to crawl in a corner and cry or go up and slaughter that thing that dared take him from her.

When he was sad, so was she. If he were to leave, she didn't have anything worth mentioning left. Nagumo had confessed his feelings for her and told her he would wait for her to feel the same way. Did he truly have to?

No, because she had been his the moment he offered her his handkerchief. She couldn't say how or why, but there was something about him, about how they fit together that couldn't be denied. As much as this brought endless complications, she smiled.

Suzuno would not run from her heart. She would not hide from the feelings that had taken over her. Whatever may happen, she needed to be next to him. She craved for his scent, for his hugs. She desired to share with him all her sorrow, joy, pain, and just about everything else.

She needed to know that he would be there every morning, waiting for her at the subway with a smile. She wanted to be able to look into his eyes for the rest of their lives. And even if the rest of her life would revolve around only a moment, just for a moment, she would accept it and find it worth it, if the moment was spent with him. For the absolute happiness that everyone talked about, she would take a chance.

She loved him and she would tell him that. She only hoped it wasn't too late.

* * *

The next morning, Suzuno arrived earlier at their meeting stop because she feared she would miss him otherwise. Her heart was beating so fast that she was expecting it to jump out of her chest. Her eyes scanned the crowd for his face, umbrella, clothes, anything. She couldn't stand still, not now that she knew and accepted her feelings. The thoughts of his reaction scared her, but she ignored them and focused on finding him. Then she saw him.

Patience had never been one of her strong points, so she didn't give it a second thought before she took off towards him. "Nagumo!" she called out to him. The whole street must have heard, but no one except him mattered.

He stopped and looked up only to have her jump on him. Although startled, he returned her hug, which was brief. She wanted to make sure he wasn't a dream. Pulling away, she couldn't hide her grin as she confessed, "I love you too."

His lips spread into a large smile and he leaned down, crashing his lips on hers. His hand rested on her hips, holding her tight, her hands cupping his face. When they pulled apart, both were out of breath, but had huge grins on their faces. He rested his forehead on hers, their noses touching.

"You're all wet." He murmured.

"Look who's talking." She whispered closing the space between their lips again.

And there it was: that feeling. She wasn't sure. Maybe it had been there all along and she failed to notice it. It was beyond words, out of this world, yet so right. It was overwhelming, but she couldn't get enough of it. Suzuno had never expected to experience something like this. It was so much better then whatever she had pictured her first love as.

She was happy, truly happy. The smile she held against his lips, was her real one. If she were to do it all again, she wouldn't mind. Perhaps if it had been different, if she hadn't felt sadness and loneliness, she would not have been able to appreciate what she had.

_You never know what_ _you have until you lose it. _

But she had found it again and would do her best to never let it go.

Here, in his embrace, was where she belonged. It was the place that Suzuno had searched for all along. She hadn't known it then, but there was no more doubt in her anymore. She got her wish. For the rest of her life she would smile her true smile for him, because of him.

_For this feeling she feels, I will keep wishing on a wishing star._

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**A/N: I don't know if it was good or not, I hope I made a good job Yuki-san, you made me go through hard times, so I wanna thank you for having an important place into my heart, and that I could make you smile with this story.**

**And I also hope you all enjoyed this oneshot, I promise I will try to write soon, thank you all of you for being on my side till now.**

**See ya soon!**

**Reviews?**


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